Airbus sees about 30 percent fewer orders for jet industry in 2017

The logo of Airbus group is pictured in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) expects the jetliner industry to book almost 30 percent fewer net orders in 2017, but to maintain a slow increase in deliveries, its sales chief said on Monday.

John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers at the world’s second-largest jet producer behind Boeing (BA.N), said he expected the industry would book over 1,000 net orders in 2017 compared with around 1,400 in 2016.

He did not say how this would translate into orders for Airbus, which has not issued a forecast for new commercial business this year.

Leahy also said that Airbus would not embark on significant new airplane developments in coming years.

“We are not planning any great new developments in the next few years ... We will be doing incremental improvements,” Leahy told the Istat Americas air finance conference.